1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a heater controller and heater control method of a refrigerator, which control a heater mounted in a refrigerator dispenser.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, as the size of a refrigerator is increased, a refrigerator wherein water or ice can be taken out of the interior of the refrigerator without opening a door has been put on sale.
Such a refrigerator is configured so that a user can be supplied with the water through a dispenser formed on a front surface of a door of a freezing chamber without opening the refrigerator door. A supply route of the water with which the user is supplied from the dispenser is as follows. For example, a water supply pipe connected to a water supply source such as a faucet is provided. The water supply pipe passes through the interior of the refrigerator. Then, the water supplied through the water supply pipe is supplied to a water tank and then to the dispenser, so that the user can take out the water.
Hereinafter, a heater control method of a refrigerator according to the prior art will be described.
FIG. 1 is a view showing the interior of a refrigerator dispenser according to the prior art.
As shown in the figure, in the prior art, a water tank 70 for supplying water is connected to a water supply pipe (not shown) and provided in the interior of a dispenser 40. Thus, it is possible for a user to be always supplied with the water through the dispenser 40 without regard to time.
Further, in order to prevent an exterior of the dispenser 40 from being covered with dew, a heater 50 is mounted at a side of the water tank 70. The heater 50 is turned on/off at predetermined intervals previously set, as shown in FIG. 1, so that the heater 50 suppresses the dew from forming on the exterior of the dispenser 40. Here, the heater operates regardless of the condition of the water tank.
In addition, an amount of heat energy of the heater 50, which is so much that the exterior of the dispenser 40 is prevented from being covered with the dew, should be within the range in which a control of a temperature in the refrigerator and an ambient temperature of the refrigerator are not influenced.
In the prior art as described above, since the heater is simply turned on/off at predetermined intervals previously set, the heater operates regardless of the condition of the water tank. As a result, the heater operates even when the water temperature in the water tank is high, so that the water temperature is caused to increase more. Furthermore, in the prior art, in a case where the heater does not operate when the water temperature in the water tank is low, the water tank is frozen over. That is, in the conventional refrigerator, if when the water temperature in the water tank is sufficiently low, the heater does not operate and thus the water tank is kept at very low temperature, the interior of the water tank may be frozen over. As a result, since the water is not supplied from the water tank to the dispenser, the water cannot be taken out.